We performed a comparison between Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect and Visio based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: Visio comes out slightly ahead in this comparison. Sparx users mention performance difficulties when dealing with large volumes of data. Sparx does come out ahead in the pricing category, however.
"This is a useful tool for IT people who need to design their solution architecture."
"Provides a single repository for all architecture work."
"I like that there is support for software patterns."
"It is a very rich tool in terms of the functionality, and the types of diagrams, that you can create in this tool."
"It is an EA tool that is approved by Open Group. It is in the tool register of Open Group."
"It has led some teams to do better code reviews - to be less focussed on coding conventions (syntax) and more focussed on the semantics because of the abstraction level clear design affords."
"The Business Process Modeling or BPM part is the most valuable. Its ability to simulate scenarios is also very useful. It can also create descriptions of the workflows. It has a feature in which if you create some BPMN process, a workflow diagram, and the description inside, you can actually simulate the whole scenario, and you get the description. That's very handy."
"Artifact templates are most valuable."
"It's my understanding that the initial setup is straightforward."
"The interface is the most valuable aspect of this solution."
"The fact that it's on-premises allows you to get fantastic speed. It's got a faster response rate, it doesn't lag, and it doesn't have any latency when you're working on it."
"What I like best about Visio is that it's flexible. Sometimes, if I need to draw quickly, I use Microsoft PowerPoint, but if I need icons, which Visio has, I use Visio. I also like that the solution gives me a much more powerful range of options."
"It is pretty easy to use if you are looking for this type of solution."
"The product's initial setup is really simple."
"The interface of the solution is very good. It's easy to navigate."
"Installing Visio is straightforward."
"The integration could be improved."
"The modeling tool is targeted toward a sophisticated user."
"Even if there are web-based tools in the Enterprise Architecture tool ecosystem (like Prolaborate), the main modeling application is still a fat client application."
"Sparx can be a bit slow. If you are trying to design software architecture, sometimes we run into issues and need to refresh."
"The areas of improvement should be focused on utility service such as producing better graphics, perhaps having a wider image library set and producing better models for working directly with customers."
"Weak in regards to data modelling. No logical or physical modelling or migration from conceptual to physical."
"Not visually appealing."
"If you just want to create some diagrams with shapes and arrows, then use Visio."
"I would like to see traceability. It doesn't have it. You cannot find one object amongst several sheets of Visio diagrams."
"There should be more items available from a variety of other products that can be integrated."
"One issue I've noticed is that when working on a shared video link with a friend for Visio, there can be a delay in changes reflecting on their screen after I've made them. This also occurs when we're working on the same document. It would be beneficial if changes could be reflected in real-time. Additionally, I've experienced some text size issues with the flow task feature. Sometimes when I enter text, it appears very small, and increasing the size causes it to extend beyond the diagram, creating formatting issues. It would be helpful if these text and formatting issues could be addressed."
"The application grid seems to be unreliable which makes simple tasks complicated."
"System architecture could be improved."
"The simulation is an area that requires improvement."
"The Auto-Align has improved significantly from the previous release; however, it still jumbles the model if your process diagram has a fair degree of complexity."
"Its integration with other vendors can be better and support for other formats. For example, when we import a JPEG, we cannot customize it. Similarly, we can't utilize the BPML kind of diagrams."
More Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect Pricing and Cost Advice →
Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is ranked 4th in Business Process Design with 97 reviews while Visio is ranked 1st in Business Process Design with 100 reviews. Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is rated 8.0, while Visio is rated 7.8. The top reviewer of Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect writes "Easy to set up and had no issues with stability, but it's not a very friendly tool, and its database modeling and entity-relationship modeling functions need improvement". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Visio writes "A software for drawing a variety of diagrams which include flowcharts, org charts, building plans, floor plans, data flow diagrams". Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is most compared with Visual Paradigm, No Magic MagicDraw, LeanIX, Lucidchart and MEGA HOPEX, whereas Visio is most compared with Bizagi, Visual Paradigm, IBM Blueworks Live, Lucidchart and SAP Signavio Process Manager. See our Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect vs. Visio report.
See our list of best Business Process Design vendors.
We monitor all Business Process Design reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.
